Owners of Berks unlicensed casino charged with illegal gambling

Ron Devlin, Reading Eagle, Pa.
·2 min read

Feb. 25—The owners of Windfall Amusements 777 Casino in Kenhorst were charged with operating an illegal gambling operation Wednesday, the Berks County Detectives Office reported Thursday.

Charged were David Scott Hutchinson, 50, of Jordan Creek, Ga.; Nayhyum Hutchinson, 49, and Sean Sang Lee, 49, both of Exeter Township, and Matthew Kyle Shepherd, 35, of Jefferson, Ga.

The Hutchinsons surrendered to Berks County detectives at their office Wednesday. Accompanied by a lawyer, they were arraigned by District Judge Sandra Fegley. Bail was set at $40,000 unsecured, and they were released.

Lee and Shepherd were at large at the time of arraignment.

The foursome, identified as owners of the casino, face violations of the state corrupt organizations act, dealing with proceeds of unlawful activities and possession of gambling devices.

According to police:

Between February and August 2020, Pennsylvania State Police and detectives from the Berks County District Attorney's office conducted a joint investigation into illegal gambling at Windfall Amusements 777 Casino.

Windfall Amusements advertised on the internet and local billboards as an operable casino that was open to the public.

The investigation uncovered that the business was not a licensed casino and housed numerous illegal gambling devices.

During the investigation, undercover detectives posed as patrons and made several cash transactions resulting in losses and gains from playing illegal devices.

On Aug. 19, state police and detectives obtained search warrants in Berks County Court for the casino, which operates at 1985 New Holland Road in Kenhorst and 205 Eastwick Drive in Exeter.

The Exeter address is listed with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor as the address for both locations.

On Aug. 20 around 10 a.m., state police and Berks detectives executed the search warrants. At the time, Nayhyum Hutchinson and Sean Lee were at the Exeter location.

Seized were 57 gambling devices, computers and $67,768 in currency, along with business and financial documents.

Also confiscated were documentation related to the defendants, which investigators later determined identified them as owners of the business.